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Everything posted by Nickfromwales
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Cylinder Choice, Heat Pump, Gas and Oil Boiler
Nickfromwales replied to JohnMo's topic in Boilers & Hot Water Tanks
Wasn’t that after your family beat you up for trying it at 42°? 😜🤣 -
Log cabin - Possible renovation to insulated office
Nickfromwales replied to Space Race's topic in Garages & Workshops
MBC use a particular moisture resistant MDF behind the external breather membrane, not OSB3 there, not sure if that’s the issue. -
Securing flint to ICF
Nickfromwales replied to Bancroft's topic in Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF)
That obvs pushes the stone course out and then requires a suitable extension to the foundation system to accept the load. A low profile faux version would be affixed to the structure, bonded to cement boards mechanically fixed / bonded on the external facades, so would be simpler and cheaper perhaps, but down to the product you eventually decide upon. -
Securing flint to ICF
Nickfromwales replied to Bancroft's topic in Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF)
Yup. Have a look at a bag and you’ll see tiling outdoors is completely permissible and commonplace worldwide. The product just needs to be cementitious, and flexible, and primed according to MI’s. -
That’s as clear as mud, but I think it refers to the 10mm welded plate which supports the outer block skin finishing no closer to the face of the block than 25mm, ergo there will be 25mm of block unsupported. So A methinks, but another pic with the cross sectional drawing should be in your possession too?
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Fire protection of steels
Nickfromwales replied to Post and beam's topic in General Self Build & DIY Discussion
By the time a steel got to those temps you’d all be long 🪦 or simply stood outside with marshmallows on long sticks anyways, so it’s all quite a lot of nonsense in a domestic 2-storey house with windows tbf. -
Ceiling Extract with Inline Fan (insulate?)
Nickfromwales replied to MortarThePoint's topic in Ventilation
Also you can use these LINK inside a regular (more attractive) vent. -
Ceiling Extract with Inline Fan (insulate?)
Nickfromwales replied to MortarThePoint's topic in Ventilation
We do solutions here squire, not problems You can ask your BCO if you can come off the back of that with a piece of rigid soil pipe, and immediately behind the plasterboard you can fit an intumescent pipe collar to comply. https://www.fireprotectiononline.co.uk/intumescent-pipe-closer?attribute_values[1043]=2910&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw--K_BhB5EiwAuwYoygI-Y_N7auDjqilxYfotngcAcJ6qpMh0KBFUntWDjy-oGM6V5LZ0thoCTocQAvD_BwE 👊 -
As for the carpentry ( ), did the guy have a chop saw, or was there just a very angry goblin, head held firmly in a vice, that he tormented and then offered the wood up to so it could be angrily gnawed into odd angles and shapes? Or did he work at night without a torch? The cuts and quality of the work is embarrassingly poor tbh, but not irrecoverable if you employ someone decent to come behind and put a few (lots) of the bad bits right. I particularly love the way that the short noggin was not replaced with a correctly sized bit of wood, but instead the gas nails were used to bridge the gap; at least he had the good conscience to use twice the number of nails to make up for the lack of feckin wood...... Have you paid this goon fully, or do you have money withheld to give to another company to sort this all out? Best to continue forward with a new contractor, but if you want to DIY the carpentry then I guess that's not impossible, just a lot to do and you have to ask yourself if you are a) capable, and b) know what you are doing. Not a dig at you, just a sensible, sober reply.
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- floor joists
- loft conversion
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This is very dangerous work, and needs to be executed properly and robustly. You should consider getting another builder in to help you or to just do the work for you, it's really not something you should do under duress, or consider doing in ignorance of just how badly this could go eg if a prop shifts. Death is permanent, and you don't sound to me like you are capable of doing this if I can be honest with you, plus that's a beast of a bit of steel with a huge amount of downward force now resting on it. I'd be leaving the blocks, and installing a 6x4" concrete lintel on flat instead of the bricks. Ask your BCO if that is acceptable as I'd rather that option vs starting to disturb the wall and the surrounding courses of the fragile friable thermal blocks and the dry mortar. You can then pack the lintel up to the steel and do away with the steel plate (all needs confirming before you do a single thing of course!!).
- 10 replies
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- floor joists
- loft conversion
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what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Yes, CSA is matched or exceed, plus I like these as they deflect a bit of the wind. I much prefer going up through a roof from an upper floor plant room, but you can't always get that in. -
Ceiling Extract with Inline Fan (insulate?)
Nickfromwales replied to MortarThePoint's topic in Ventilation
I'm now a huge fan (lol) of the Icon range with the openable shutters for zero draughts during the winter. It is obvs noisier than the inline, but I looked at dampers and gave up, plus I don't want the chatter of a back-draft shutter (these get clogged up soon enough and stop working fully anyhoo....). -
what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Make sure it's a decent sized duct to avoid the noise of the fan buffeting against a poor routed / too small one. Fans run much quieter with a bit of forethought -
"Your gardens are beautiful"
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what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
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Ideal brand Heat Pump - any insights?
Nickfromwales replied to Walshie's topic in Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
Most do quite good WC out of the box nowadays, so I doubt you’ll need to micromanage the bottom end off this. -
“Continue”. 😜
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what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
No MVHR? With MVHR you’d recirculate into the room not dump it outside. -
what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Silicone had a limited life, and should only be used for cosmetic stuff tbh. There are modified version used, for eg, in the glazing industry, but you ‘seal’ with a sealant afaic much as you’d never use / see silicone around door and window frames (externally). Silicones can’t be painted either. -
The USP of these things was compact / modular size (the ‘9’ would fit under a kitchen worktop) and the fact these were zero service and maintenance and didn’t require G3. Now you have PRV’s and PRedV’s and EV’s on them, all which require annual inspection to ensure that they are still functional. I guess another nail in the coffin for that USP, given the prices people are being quoted these days for supply and fit vs fitting an UVC; the requirement for G3 may not be there with the latest get-out-of-jail solutions but they certainly now do need this inspection to be carried out. If anyone’s got a new set of MI’s to hand please let us know!
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Have you not considered getting a local carpenter / joiner to price you to do a ‘cut’ (attic) trussed roof to gain a decent useable attic space, eg one without all the W timbers tripping you up when you go to get the Xmas tree out? Shocking state of the structure etc, just crazy to see what people are happy to just blindly carry on pumping gas and electricity into. 😣
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what outside vent?
Nickfromwales replied to CalvinHobbes's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
The basic grilles are flat with louvred slots, but we fit a lot of the ones that project a little, with a boxed section, and the outlet faces down and out at an angle. These seem to suffer less from windy days etc, but it may not be an issue if the elevation here isn’t hammered by weather. Is that duct running downhill to meet the outside wall? If not then I’d suggest not going for the 1st option I mention as wind-driven rain can get in there. Also, get some CT1 / other non-silicone sealant and seal around the duct before fitting the grilles -
That’s one of many I’m afraid. Its food grade salt so just a crusty mess to clean up, but it’ll just give less and less hot water each time you recharge it. Sunamp have been pretty quick to change a lot of the burst / failed units that I put in for former clients, so hopefully they’ll be reactive. 🤞. Who installed it? Back then they had no installer network.
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Hi, and welcome! As above, Firstly, what are you intentions with insulation and airtightness? MVHR will be an expensive ornament if you’re not making the house airtight (and I don’t mean draught-proofing) Please give us more detail for the ‘bigger picture’ so the replies can be given to suit. Doors and windows swapped out and trickle vents being omitted? Cavities being filled? EWI / IWI?
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Miss match between supply vents?
Nickfromwales replied to Andeh's topic in Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
